Tonight, we gather to pay tribute to Pvt. James W. Turner, a WWII soldier who is finally coming home, Capt. Jesse Melton III, 29 of Randallstown, Md. and 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo, 25, of Bothell, Wash., who died Sept. 9 while supporting combat operations in Parwan province, Afghanistan. They were assigned to Headquarters Battery, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. Three men who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. One, diaried by Blue Jersey Mom, coming home after being missing for over sixty years, and two, cut down in the prime of their lives. Their smiles tell you all you need to know about these gentle souls. Their stories give truth to the impression created by their smiles. Join me in the 28th Division prayer, below, especially the part about sparing us all from the strife these men fought to end.
28th Division Prayer
Our Father, Creator of beauty and life,
Spare this earth from wanton strife.
28th men, who through history long,
To thy Kingdom now belong,
Bless and abide with them there.
God in Heaven, Eternal Love,
Protect their homes with grace from above;
Their loved ones, who Thy will endure,
Comfort their hearts, keep them secure,
Bless and abide with them here.
We, on earth, who await Thy call,
Help us to keep the Faith with all,
With banners high and hearts in line,
In Thy holy light may the Keystone shine,
Bless and abide with us all.
Pvt. James W. Turner (no photo available)
Private Turner's tribute contributed by Blue Jersey Mom
On Tuesday the Department of Defense announced the following:
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Pvt. James W. Turner, U.S. Army, of Altus, Okla. He will be buried on Sept. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Turner’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
In November 1944, the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division was attacking east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt. On Nov. 4, the Germans counterattacked in what would become one of the longest running battles in U.S. history. Turner, a member of G Company, 112th Infantry Regiment, was reported missing in action near Vossenack on Nov. 9.
In 2005, a German citizen who was searching for wartime relics in the Hürtgen Forest, near Vossenack, found human remains and other items, including Turner’s military identification tag. The remains and items were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) for further analysis.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Turner’s remains.
The Oklahoman reports that over 78,000 of the 406,000 Americans who died during World War II are still listed as missing in action. Thanks to the scientists at JPAC, Pvt. Turner is finally coming home.
Turner's younger brother, Valton Turner is glad that his brother finally received a proper burial and called him a hero.
The 81-year-old said he kept pictures of his brother in his apartment in northwest Oklahoma City and thought of him often, despite the fact that James "Wilerd" Turner had been missing from since 1944 in World War II.
snip
"I broke down 'cause I hadn't heard from him in over 60 years," he said of the moment he was alerted to the fact his brother's body had been found in Germany. "Of course it tore me up."
~source
Valton said that his older brother taught him to drive and that they used to double-date.
Pvt. Turner was drafted in March of 1944. At that time he had been married for less than a year. On November 9th, 1944 he was shot in the back of his head while serving as a lookout in the forest. His family continued to hold out hope that he might be found alive, since his body was never recovered. However, several years after his disappearance, the Army awarded Pvt. Turner's Purple Heart to his parents, and that led the family to assume that he had been killed in action.
Although Valton Turner was not well enough to travel, four of his seven siblings and Private Turner's former wife attended his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. He was buried with full military honors on September 11th.
Capt. Jesse Melton III
On September 9th, Capt. Jesse Melton III and 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo were working with a team helping to train members of the Afghan National Army when a roadside bomb exploded, killing him, another Marine officer, a member of the U.S. Navy and an Afghani interpreter.
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
http://images.google.com/...
Their artillery battalion, headquartered at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, is comprised of three firing batteries and a headquarters battery.
"He was a man of honor and a servant leader," said Capt. Melton's mother last night as their family's Owings Mills home filled with friends and relatives. "He knew there were missions to do and work to do, and for the greater good, he was a Marine all the way." After graduating in 1996 from Randallstown High School, where he played lacrosse and baseball, Captain Melton attended Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., where he studied communications. But after his freshman year, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve and attended boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., his family said.
"It literally changed his life," said his younger sister, Jenine Melton, a captain in the U.S. Army who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. "He used to be very messy - the way, most of the time, boys' rooms aren't so neat. But when I went to see him in Parris Island, you could bounce a quarter off his bed. "And he was proud. He felt a sense of duty to his country, duty to his family, and he wanted to do something to make America proud, to give something back to a country that has given us so much."
In addition to his mother and sister, survivors include his stepfather, Charlton Chance of Owings Mills; a brother, Joshua Melton of Owings Mills; two stepsisters, Christine Chance of Reston, Va., and Laura Chance of Owings Mills; his grandmother, Ethel Matthews of Baltimore; as well as several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father.
http://www.wbaltv.com/...
His family described him as a Christian, devoted to his family, religion and the Marines who served under him. The Marines offered him the chance to serve his country after he had been deeply involved at Colonial Baptist Church, with youth ministries and missionary work. "He was a servant leader. He served his men; he wanted to make sure his Marines were well taken care of," Chance said. "He said, 'I'm single and I have no children. I would take a bullet for my Marines if I have to.' "
Melton graduated in 2000 from Messiah College, where he served in the Marine Corps Reserve and completed officer candidate school, before he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served a tour in Iraq in 2005 and two tours in Okinawa before his deployment to Afghanistan, where he helped train soldiers in the Afghan army and patrolled villages.
"I'm going to remember his intoxicating smile, his pleasant attitude and positive spirit," said his sister, Army Capt. Jenine Melton, who said her older brother inspired her to join the military. She said that they and their brother Joshua struggled after their parents divorced but that keeping active in church kept them from trouble. "We were nerds, literally," Melton said. The experience drove her brother to want to help others and to find a career with honor, the chance to lead and fight for the underdog, she said. "It's painful," Melton said. "At least I know he's in a better place. He's gone to glory."
Janine and Joshua Melton, in happier times
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
First. Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo
First Lieutenant Madrazo was killed in the same incident as Captain Melton. Lieutenant Madrazo graduated from Bothell High in 2001 and became a Marine officer through Seattle Pacific University's Navy ROTC program. He volunteered for duty in Afghanistan along with a soldier friend whom he had become close friends with.
[snip]
In high school, he was known as an aggressive soccer player, with a winning smile. "He was aggressive, but always kept his smile on the field," said William Frankhouser, a former Bothell High classmate who shot the footage. "He was the guy who was always friendly and smiling and willing to befriend anyone."
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/...
Almost every time 1st Lt. Nicholas Madrazo opened the gates of his Marine base north of Kabul, he would be greeted by the gleeful screams of Afghan children ready to play. Since his deployment to Afghanistan's Parwan province in March, the 25-year-old Bothell man had become a popular friend to many of the local children on the outskirts of Kabul.
With pens, paper, candy and an occasional game of soccer, Lt. Madrazo had quickly grown to be known around the area as just "Nic," his father, Joel Madrazo, said Friday. "Nic really wanted to send a message that we should pass on the good things we are doing here," said Joel Madrazo. "We're not just soldiers but we have other jobs to do — that's trying to improve the lives of the local people." "When he got to Afghanistan, he immersed himself in the culture. His job was to go to villages and meet with tribal leaders to find out what their needs were — one was paving the surrounding of a mosque," Joel Madrazo said. "He loved working, having that kind of responsibility." Lt. Madrazo asked his parents to send him pads of paper, pencils and lots of ballpoint pens as gifts for the children he met. He told his parents that the children were fascinated with ink pens and loved to write with them. "He connected with kids," his father said. "He grew up around kids, his cousins and the neighborhood we live in."
[snip]
"When he got to Afghanistan, he immersed himself in the culture. His job was to go to villages and meet with tribal leaders to find out what their needs were — one was paving the surrounding of a mosque," Joel Madrazo said. "He loved working, having that kind of responsibility." Lt. Madrazo asked his parents to send him pads of paper, pencils and lots of ballpoint pens as gifts for the children he met. He told his parents that the children were fascinated with ink pens and loved to write with them. "He connected with kids," his father said. "He grew up around kids, his cousins and the neighborhood we live in."
Lieutenant Madrazo is survived by his parents, a brother, a sister, grandparents, aunts and cousins. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at Westminster Chapel, 13646 N.E. 24th St., Bellevue. The service is open to the public.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/...
Madrazo's commanding officer told his mother by phone that Marines stood shoulder to shoulder with Afghan troops, French soldiers and local Afghans who had come to know the Bothell man. The hymn "Amazing Grace" was played.
He arrived in Afghanistan in March and his work included training Afghan troops, said his father, Joel Madrazo. In addition to patrolling villages looking for Taliban insurgents, Madrazo also worked on development projects, building roads and helping villagers. "He saw the other side of being a soldier," Joel Madrazo said. He told his family about the joy he found in giving candy to Afghan children. Later, after learning about the lack of dental care, he worried about the children getting cavities and started giving them pens, pencils and paper. "He cared about the people there," his mom said. "The kids were really excited to see Nic."
A burial is being scheduled at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. "We think he'd be honored to be buried there," Jared Madrazo said. For now, his family is taking comfort in their faith in Jesus and their belief that Madrazo is in a better place. "He's in Heaven," Feeback, his uncle, said. "We will see him again there."
http://heraldnet.com/...
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT): I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
Click here http://www.dailykos.com/... to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, mediaprof and me, SpamNunn.
I Got the News Today and MoJo Friday are working together to send care packages through Netroots for the Troops. It is a great way to support our troops who are already in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please consider helping our troops by writing a letter or sending some donating some items for the care package, or if you aren't able to do this, money donations are very welcome. We appreciate all the kindness and support this community has shown to our Armed Services. Thank you, Daily Kos.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. Many of us have strong feelings about this war and, for that matter, all wars, but this diary is intended as a memorial service for these soldiers. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion, rather than politics.